Back to the future
Teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is an aspiring musician dating girlfriend Jennifer (Claudia Wells) in 1985 Hill Valley, California. His family is less ambitious; his father George (Crispin Glover) is bullied by his supervisor, Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), while his mother Lorraine (Lea Thompson) is an alcoholic who mainly reminisces about the past, such as how she met George in high school when he was hit by her father's car. Marty meets his scientist friend "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) late at night in the parking lot of a shopping mall, where Doc unveils a time machine he's built from a modified DeLorean sports car. The vehicle's "flux capacitor" is powered by plutonium that he's stolen from Libyan terrorists. Doc tests the time machine by accelerating it to 88 m.p.h., sending it one minute into the future, and demonstrates the time circuits by entering an example date of November 5, 1955, the day he invented the flux capacitor. Before Doc can make his first trip, the Libyans appear in a van and gun him down. Marty escapes in the DeLorean but inadvertently activates the time machine, finding himself transported to 1955. Wandering in 1955 Hill Valley, Marty encounters the teenage George, who is still bullied by Biff, now a classmate. After Marty saves George from an oncoming car and is knocked unconscious, he awakens to find himself tended to by an infatuated Lorraine. Marty goes in search of the 1955 Doc, asking for his help to get back to the future. With no plutonium, Doc explains that the only power source capable of the necessary 1.21 gigawatts of electricity is a bolt of lightning. Marty shows Doc a flyer he's been carrying from the future, which recounts a lightning strike at the town clock tower the coming Saturday night. Doc formulates a plan to harness the power of the lightning, while Marty sets about introducing his parents to each other to ensure his own existence. Marty makes several attempts to set George up with Lorraine, but only antagonizes Biff and his gang in the process, such as causing Biff to crash his car into a manure truck. Marty also attempts to warn Doc about his death in the future, but Doc refuses to hear it, fearing it will alter the future. When Lorraine asks Marty to the upcoming school dance, Marty plans to have George attend as well and "rescue" Lorraine from Marty's inappropriate advances. The plan goes awry when a drunken Biff shows up, pulls Marty from his car, and attempts to force himself on Lorraine. George arrives to rescue her from Marty but finds Biff instead; standing up to him for the first time, George punches Biff out. A smitten Lorraine follows George to the dance floor, and Marty helps the band ensures they kiss for the first time. As the storm gathers, Marty arrives at the clock tower. Doc angrily tears up a warning letter Marty has written him, still fearing it will alter the future, and a fallen branch suddenly disconnects the massive wire Doc has run from the clock tower to the street. As Marty races the DeLorean at 88 m.p.h. toward the clock tower, Doc climbs across the face of the clock to reconnect the cable. The lightning strikes on cue, sending Marty back to 1985 minutes before he left it. Marty runs to the shopping mall, but only arrives in time to watch Doc gunned down and himself depart. After a moment, Doc arises, thanks to a bullet-proof vest, and reveals that he kept Marty's letter after all. Marty awakens the next morning to find his family changed: George is a self-confident, successful author and Lorraine is happily in love. Biff, instead of being a bullying superior, is now subordinate to George and Marty. As Marty reunites with Jennifer, the DeLorean appears in a flash of light and a futuristic Doc emerges, insisting they accompany him back to the future. With Doc declaring "where we're going, we don't need roads," the DeLorean lifts up and flies off into the sky.